QB picks college after bond formed during Parkland shooting

2018-03-07T16:08:39Z2018-03-07T21:22:11Z

DUDLEY, Mass. (AP) - A student from the Florida high school where a gunman killed 17 people has committed to play football for a Massachusetts college because of the bond he formed with two recruiters during the shooting.

Tyler Goodman, a quarterback at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, announced his college choice on Twitter last month and confirmed to WFXT-TV near Boston on Wednesday that he has committed to Nichols College.

The NCAA Division III school in Dudley, about 50 miles west of Boston, wasn't one of his top choices at first. But during the Feb. 14 shooting, he hid in a room with his high school coach, several teammates and Nichols dean of admissions Paul Brower and assistant football coach St. Clair Ryan.

"Coach Brower and Coach Ryan kind of went into father mode and protected us," Goodman said.

Everyone in the office survived unscathed, but one of Goodman's best friends, Joaquin "Guac" Oliver, was killed.

"Being stuck with two recruiting coaches for three hours in such a tragic moment, we kind of formed that bond in a way ... like something special," he said.

A campus visit later sealed the deal.

"When I went to Nichols, it started snowing. I just thought it was a sign from the 17," Goodman said, referring those killed, including one of his assistant football coaches, Aaron Feis.

Goodman wore No. 1 in high school, but hopes to wear No. 17 in college as a tribute to those who lost their lives.

Nichols is a private school founded in 1815 with about 1,200 students known for its business programs.

(Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP, Pool, File). FILE - In a Wednesday, March 14, 2018 file photo, Nikolas Cruz is lead out of the courtroom after an arraignment hearing at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Cruz is...

A commitment under the law would have made it more difficult if not impossible for Nikolas Cruz to obtain a gun legally.

(AP Photo/Ellen Knickmeyer, File). FILE - In this March 10, 2018, file photo, flowers adorn the sign in front of Pathway Home, the building that houses a veterans program in Northern California a day after a deadly shooting in Younteville, Calif. Autho...

Authorities say a combat veteran shot himself in the head with a shotgun after fatally shooting three mental health workers at a California veterans home.

(AP Photo/Manuel Valdes). FILE - Students at Roosevelt High School take part in a protest against gun violence Wednesday, March 14, 2018, in Seattle. Politicians in Washington state are joining students who walked out of class to protest against gun vi...

Tens of thousands of students around the US have staged one of the biggest student walkouts in decades, demanding action against gun violence weeks after 17 were killed in a school shooting rampage in Florida.

Tens of thousands of students around the US have staged one of the biggest student walkouts in decades, demanding action against gun violence weeks after 17 were killed in a school shooting rampage in Florida.

Authorities said Friday that the cables suspending a pedestrian bridge were being tightened after a "stress test" when the 950-ton concrete span collapsed over traffic, killing at least six people and injuring 10

Authorities said Friday that the cables suspending a pedestrian bridge were being tightened after a "stress test" when the 950-ton concrete span collapsed over traffic, killing at least six people and injuring 10